Understanding patient perceptions of access to healthcare centers in one of the major cities of Afghanistan

Access to healthcare services is an important aspect in providing health care, but there is little information about the perception level of people who have come to healthcare centers about access to services in Herat, Afghanistan. The aim of this study was to investigate the perception level of people referred to healthcare centers in Herat in 2024. The study was a cross -sectional study and participants (n = 420) included individuals aged 18-65 to Herat healthcare centers. The cluster sampling method was that each of the 31 service centers was considered. Modified Penchansky and Thomas's (2015) Theory of Access questionnaire was used to collect data from a sample of people referred to medical centers in Herat. The results demonstrated that the perception level of clients significantly varied across different variables such as age, gender, economic conditions, job status, education level, and marital status. The mean scores for the perception level of various variables including accessibility, acceptability, affordability, accommodation, awareness, and availability were reported as 65.86, 30.48, 52.48, 64.05, 73.11, and 63.31, respectively. The results indicated that perception level was the highest for awareness and after it accessibility, and affordability, respectively. Moreover, education level and job status had a statistically significant effect on perception level (P-value < 0.05). This study revealed the importance of considering demographic characteristics when assessing the level of peoples' perceptions of access to health care services. Improving access to health care services requires a comprehensive understanding of the various factors that influence levels of perception. Addressing these factors can help to increase the quality and effectiveness of providing health services in Herat city.